Jelly Baby, Katniss?
by pjcrazy
Summary: The day after she was first reaped for the Capitol, Katniss is moping on the train, despairing and hopelss. Then she hears the strangest sound coming from the Dining Car, and why exactly is this weirdo in that ridiculous scarf offering her a jelly baby!


**Well, I'm not exactly sure how to explain this myself. This was a result of one of our random conversations between my Beta and me, where we were discussing the possibility of Katniss meeting the Doctor. And while I was sitting in front of my comp, trying desperately to squeeze something out for the next chapter of Help From Another World, I opened a new document and started typing something to try and flush out the writer's block. This came out, and I am actually quite pleased with how it came out, haha. This started out as a drabble or oneshot thingy, but maybe I might be able to turn it into something else if people like it, haha.**

**For those who can appreciate this crossover between my favorite tv show and one of my favorite books, I hope you enjoyed it, and that I have kept everyone in character, haha. Enjoy!**

**=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=**

The Doctor. Now how in all Panem am I supposed to describe that guy? He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever. He burns at the centre of time and can see the turn of the universe. He can be so silly at times, and yet his eyes can be so full of pain and sadness. He can be enigmatic, funny, hilarious, but he can also be so intense, angry, fierce. And... he's wonderful. Wow, when did I ever get so deep?

The first time I met the Doctor was one of the weirdest days of my life. And trust me, with the life I've got? That's saying something. It was on the day after that heart-shattering day when Prim was almost reaped at the ceremony. Right after the ceremony I had been torn away from Prim, the only family I had left on this earth, and bundled into a building. We were allowed a few seconds to say our last goodbyes, and then we were officially tributes. Pieces in a sick and twisted game devised by the Capitol to show just how helpless we really were.

I was on the train, staring listlessly out of the windows as we trundled ever closer to the Capitol. Peeta had gone off to bed right after that large dinner we had, and that idiot Haymitch was probably stone drunk in his room. I didn't know where Effie was, and didn't particularly care. I munched absent-mindedly on a piece of bread I had gotten from the dining car. I had to admit, the food was probably the only good thing about this entire disaster. District 12 didn't exactly have access to any luxuries of any kind. Then I heard it. A strange, grinding sound, growing steadily louder, coming from the dining car. _VWORP, VWORP, VWORP!_

I frowned, searching for something I could use as a weapon just in case. _Was this some kind of Capitol trick or something?_ Slowly, I crept to the door and then threw it open, brandishing the table lamp from my bedside table…and nearly dropped it in surprise. Somehow, someone had managed to get a police box – Yes, you heard me right. A _POLICE BOX , _At least, that what it said on the top– into the train car. And as strange as that was, it wasn't the strangest part. The strangest part was a man I had never seen before, dressed in the one of the longest scarves I had ever seen, staring around him in bewilderment. He was about average height, with crazy, curly hair and a slightly wild look in his eyes. He wore a battered hat on top of his curls, and had a colorful striped, ridiculously long scarf around his neck. In short, he looked like someone to stay away from. Was he some other equally eccentric friend of Haymitch's?

"Who are you?" I demanded. I put the lamp down, as it wouldn't be able to do much harm anyway, settling on a steel knife I had managed to barter for in District 12. "What are you doing here? How did you even _get _here?"

The man focused on me and suddenly grinned. "Hello-o-o!" He then looked offended at the weapon and sniffed. "kindly put that away, there's no need for violence. To answer your questions, I mean you no harm at all. As a matter of fact, I hadn't even intended to land here, it's just that the guidance systems had been slightly askew ever since Sarah accidentally poured some tea on it. Now I'm just waiting for K-9 to complete the calculations and then I'll be off again! Won't be a bother at all! I'm the Doctor by the way, and would you like a jelly baby?" All this he said without stopping to take a breath.

I looked hesitantly at the proffered bag, wondering if it was a trick, before shrugging and taking one. "Thanks…?"

"You're welcome!" he beamed. "So, while we're waiting, I might as well get to know you better. What's your story?" He sat down on one of the chairs. "Hmm, judging from this chair, I'd say late twenty first century, but this… hmm…curious, curious. What time is it?"

I stared at him for a long while, speechless, before turning to the clock on the wall. "Um…11pm?"

"Oh, no, not the _time, _the Time! Date, year! What year is it?"

"Oh…um…74 A.D.D" I said cautiously.

"A.D.D?" He asked curiously.

I grimaced. "After Dark Days. The new calendar devised by the Capitol."

He frowned at my words. "Ah... Capitol. Some kind of dictator, I take it"

I laughed bitterly. "Got that right in one." Slowly, I told him of the events leading to the formation of Panem, how the state was split in thirteen districts, how District 13 rebelled and the total destruction of it. And later, how President Snow had instituted the Hunger Games, where every year we were forced to watch 24 children thrown into an Arena to fight to the death, as a sign of how helpless we were to rebel. And now I was in one of them. The 74th Hunger Games. I finished my tale, only then realizing that there were hot, angry tears on my face.

"Ah now…" He muttered awkwardly, putting a hesitant arm around my shoulders. "I'm sorry, child. Oh look, I don't even know your name…"

I smiled through my tears, somehow not being ashamed of crying before this man. "Katniss. Katniss Everdeen."

He smiled briefly. "Katniss. I am so, so sorry for your loss. Sometimes history can be so cruel."

I shrugged helplessly. "What can you do? We have absolutely nothing to hope for, nothing to fight for. All we can do is submit, albeit grudgingly."

The Doctor shook his head in wonder. "The human race is always so new to me, no matter how many times I encounter you… Even after all these misfortunes, there is still so much fire in your eyes. You humans are amazing, so _adaptable_!" Then his eyes grew sad again, "But still, I am sorry that you have to live in such dark times." For the first time, I realized that even as crazy as he looked, his eyes were so old, so wise, like they had seen so much. At that moment, I stopped being cautious of him and decided he wasn't so bad after all.

"Doctor? Who…are you, anyway? What are you? Just now, you talked about humans…as if…you weren't one yourself. And all that common knowledge was completely foreign to you. Who are you?"

The Doctor laughed slightly and scratched his head. "Ah…it's a long story, and I don't think you will believe me even if I told you."

I raised an eyebrow. "I've got time. I don't really sleep early anyway. Who are you exactly?"

He sighed and studied me, before starting. "I'm a Time Lord. I'm from Gallifrey, a planet many galaxies away from here, and I can travel in time. That there" He jerked a thumb at the police box, "is my TARDIS"

"Your what?"

"It's called the TARDIS. T-A-R-D-I-S. It stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. It can travel anywhere in time and space. And it's all mine." He grinned, then offered his bag again. "Would you like another jelly baby?"

I took one, half spluttering in laughter. "That? That _POLICE BOX _is your time machine? Alright, this must be a Capitol prank." My eyes grew dark. "I can't believe I fell for this. Is there a camera here? Where is it? Is this some kind of prank to trip your tributes up and unnerve them _before _they even get to the games?! Well if it is, then it is _NOT FUNNY!"_ I felt like a fool. For a moment, I had actually found myself believing every word that he said. I could already see the footage of me falling for that prank circulating all around the Capitol. I felt like I could have burst into flames at the moment, if not for the utterly shocked look on the Doctor's face.

"Doctor! What's going on out there?!" Suddenly, a female voice called out from the police box. "Is someone out there? Please tell me you have not ticked off somebody else while I was gone!" Before my eyes, a brown-haired woman stepped out of the police box. She put a hand on her hip and looked the both of us over. She sighed and turned to the Doctor. "What did you do this time?"

"Look, Sarah – " The Doctor began.

The woman – Sarah – turned her attention to me. "Hi, my name is Sarah Jane Smith, and I am _really _sorry for whatever he did. I swear, that man can have the tactfulness of a cyberman sometimes." She smiled sweetly, ignoring the Doctor's indignant "Oi!"

I looked her over in disbelief. "Come off it, the pranks over. I've seen through it. Please just leave me alone…"

"I'll have you know that I did nothing, Sarah! I simply told her about my TARDIS and then she was yelling at me." The Doctor muttered, standing up and straightening his scarf in a disgruntled manner.

Sarah gave a long-suffering sigh. "Doctor, you can't just tell someone you can travel in time in a battered blue box and expect them to believe you at once!"

"I'll have you know that the TARDIS is a highly advanced infinite ship, and it has feelings too, you know!" The Doctor huffed.

Sarah rolled her eyes and turned to me. "Again, I'm sorry, but I assure you that this isn't a prank. We really had no intention of landing here in the first place. Don't worry, once K9 manages to find the fault we'll be away again." She promised.

"kanine?" I repeated dumbly.

She nodded fondly. "Yes, K-9. The Doctor's very own robot dog. Very helpful, though he does like winding the Doctor up sometimes."

I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. "Alright, this is a dream. A really weird dream. Did Effie drug us with some kind of hallucinogen in our food? Is Peeta having those weird dreams as well?"

Sarah put a hand on my shoulders. "Here, why don't I prove it to you?" She led me to the police box, and with one hand pushed the doors open. I walked inside, and my jaw nearly fell to the floor.

I was in a huge, white room, with round impressions all over the walls. At the centre of the room there was some kind six-sided control panel with a long cylinder rising up from it. There were also doors leading out of the room to various places. Oh, and there was a robot dog inspecting some wires through a access panel in the console. I gaped around at the inside of the police box, then ran outside as fast as I could. From all angles, it was jut an ordinary police box! I even felt the sides to make sure they were there, and my fingers rested against solid wood. I burst into the doors, back to that impossibly large room. "Its…its bigger on the inside…"I muttered dumbly.

The Doctor snickered slightly. "Humans…for a species so praised for their originality and creativity, you lot always seem to say exactly the same thing."

Sarah smacked him around the head lightly. "Be nice."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her, then walked over to me. "Do you believe me now?" He asked.

I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I wasn't. I nodded dumbly. "How is that possible?"

The Doctor grinned smugly. "Alien, remember?"

I walked out of the…tardis and sat down on one of the chairs. "I…can't believe it. How is this possible? Is it…magic?"

The Doctor shook his head, grinning. "Not magic. Science. To quote Arthur C. Clarke, though, sufficiently advanced technology can often be taken as magic."

I walked into the TARDIS again and ran a hand over the console. To my surprise, the ship seemed to light up slightly and hum. "Travel anywhere in time?" I asked, still trying my best to wrap my head around this idea."

"Yup." The Doctor smiled. Then his eyes lit up – slightly maniacally, to be honest, yet somehow I didn't feel afraid – as though he had just had a brilliant idea. "Here, why don't I show you, _and _help you feel better about this horrible situation you're in?K-9, is the ship fixed?"

"Affirmative, master, though 'fixed' is a nebulous term concerning the TARDIS, as I had not had the time nor the materials to fully – "

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Shut up, K-9"

Before I could protest, he strode over to the console, grinning, and started running around its six sides, throwing switches, punching in numbers, sliding dials and twisting various knobs. The doors suddenly slammed close, and the central cylinder started to rise upwards and plunge down repeatedly. The sound started up again, that grinding sound, _VWORP, VWORP, VWORP!_ The Doctor grinned. "Here we GO!" The ship lurched, and then it was like the ship was floating in space, yet moving extremely fast at the same time.

"DOCTOR! WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I screamed.

"Don't worry, Katniss! Trust me!" After what felt like an eternity and yet like no time at all, the sound came again, _VWORP VWORP VWORP!_

"We're materializing again." The Doctor smiled. Suddenly everything was still. The doctor walked to a screen on the console and checked it, then looked up again, smiling. "Looks like the Old Girl likes you. For once, we've landed exactly when I wanted." Sarah half-snorted with exasperation/laughter.

"And…where's that?" I asked hesitantly.

The Doctor strode over to the doors and threw them open. "The Future." He announced grandly. Bright sunlight streamed in. Slowly, I walked out of the doorway and looked out, gasping. It was like I had stepped into a new world. I was in some kind of park, where trees and flowers grew green. People milled around the park, laughing, smiling. Everything seemed so peaceful and happy.

I ran around the park, taking in every detail, then I accidentally bumped into a man coming the other way. I turned to apologize "Oh, I'm so sorry" Then the man turned, and I gasped as I saw his familiar grey eyes. "Gale?!"

His eyes widened in fear "Katniss! Oh no!"

"What?! What's going on?" I raised my voice, slightly fearful.

Frantically, he turned around, checking everywhere. "I'm so sorry, I only went to get a drink and when they returned, they were gone!"

I whirled too, trying to understand what he was talking about. "Who's gone?"

"Willow and Rye! I swear, I only turned my back for a moment." He said, still scanning the park.

"Who?!" I was almost screaming in frustration.

Gale paused for a moment, looking utterly bewildered. He looked at me closely for the first time, studying me closely. I did a little studying of my own. This Gale was a man now, all grown up! There were so many new lines in his face. A lot of pain, a _lot _of pain, but also peace, happiness, contentment. Suddenly his eyes cleared and he smiled. "Oh, so it's _that _time you told me about! It was _me _who encouraged you!" He gave a soft, wry chuckle of disbelief. At my both angry and confused glare, his laughter subsided and he put a hand over my shoulder. "Katniss, this is the year 92 A.D.D, exactly eight years from the moment you stepped on board that madman's blue box. The Hunger Games were abolished six years ago, the Capitol is finished." His eyes grew distant. "Everything changed those six years ago, when you were reaped. Now Panem is ruled by a republic, governed by President Paylor, and for once, we know peace." He stepped back and gestured at the ground we were standing on. "This park was built over the arena, you know."

My eyes must have been as wide as dinner plates by then. "How…how did you know about that madman and that blue box?!" I demanded.

Gale grinned slightly. "_you _told me. Or rather, you _will _when you get back to your time and meet me once again. You said that it was this, a small trip to the future, that showed you that The Capitol _can _be defeated. It was this vision that gave us the hope to remain fighting, and finally we succeeded." He chuckled. "Huh, paradoxes."

I looked over the park again, seeing the peace and joy that I had never experienced but felt so keenly in the air. "What's the price of all this, though? Nothing comes without a price." I murmured.

The pain lines around his eyes seemed to deepen, but still he smiled. "Yes, there was pain, Katniss. Great, great pain. I lost many things. All of us lost things dear to us. Mistakes were made, people died." His eyes showed grief now. "For a time, I became almost as bad as the Capitol." With an effort, he pushed the emotions back down, and gave me a sad smile. "But we are at peace now. And the people value this peace more than anything, because they fought for it, they earned it. And…I am at peace too."

I smiled. "Thank you, Gale. Now who's Willow and Rye?" I asked, checking around the park.

Gale's smile grew wider. "Your children." He said quietly.

My heart almost stood still. "C…c..children?" I gasped. "I have…children?"

Gale nodded proudly. "Yeah, and you made _me _the godfather."

I turned to look at him, surprised. "You're…not the father?"

His eyes grew slightly dark. "There was a time when…I thought I could be. But things have changed, and your heart now belongs to another." He looked at me again. "I'm happy for you, though. The two of you are so good for each other, and that makes me happy. It took me some time to understand that, but now I see that I never really stood a chance." He smiled.

"Who?" I asked simply.

Gale smirked, and was about to open his mouth to reply, but then suddenly the Doctor appeared in front of me, shaking his head firmly. "Uh uh uh! Spoilers! I think you've seen enough."

"Hey! But…" I protested.

Gale smiled "Don't worry, Katniss. The Doctor is right. Go on now, go back and change the world." He looked behind me, and his eyes widened. "Oh no, that's you coming back right now! You got to go before you create some kind of paradox or something."

Again, before I could do anything to protest, the doctor dragged me back into the TARDIS. I could just make out a woman that really looked like me holding two children by the hand, marching towards Gale with a look that made him quail slightly.

_VWORP, VWORP, VWORP!_ The TARDIS materialized back at the train, exactly two hours after I had left, at 1:00 am. I walked out of the doors, back into the train, my head still reeling with what I had seen and heard_. I have a life…a life after the Games…I have a husband…children! The Capitol destroyed…peace… _My heart was suddenly pumping fast and loud in my chest.

"There is always hope, Katniss Everdeen." The Doctor smiled. "I hope you have seen that now."

I turned back to the Doctor, who was smiling at me. "Doctor…Thank you. Thank you so much."

He tipped his hat off to me. "You're very welcome, Katniss. And here – " He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small pouch and tossed it to me. "You seem to be one of the few that appreciates these jelly babies."

I caught the pouch in my hand. It was full of jelly babies. I laughed and hugged the Doctor lightly. "Thank you." We said our goodbyes. I hugged Sarah and patted K-9 lightly on his head. He smiled, and the doors closed.

I called out. "Doctor?" He opened the doors again, looking out curiously. I swallowed. "Will I ever see you again?"

The Doctor put his hands in his pockets. "Perhaps, Katniss Everdeen. Perhaps. The life of a time traveller and everything." He grinned apologetically.

"I…understand." I smiled. "Goodbye, Doctor." Suddenly, I realized something just as he closed the doors again. "Doctor!"

He opened the doors, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "What is it this time?"

I laughed. "I don't even know your name!"

At that, his manic grin grew wider. "Told you, I'm the Doctor!" He closed the doors, cackling slightly. I could just see Sarah going to smack him as the blue doors closed.

_VWORP, VWORP, VWORP_

With every beat, the outline of the TARDIS became more transparent, more indistinct, until it had faded completely.

"Doctor?" I wondered… "Doctor Who?"

_=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=_

The next morning, I could have sworn it was all a dream, except for the pouch of jelly babies resting on my bedside table.

End

**=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=**

**Again, I really hope that you have enjoyed my first Dr Who fanfic. It was quite fun for me, haha. I chose Four because he was one of my favorite Doctors, next to Ten and Eleven, and I wanted something from classic Who.**

**So what do you think? Should I turn this into a multi-chapter fic? If it does go into a multi-chapter, then I will probably start using the new doctors, haha. Please please please review and I will give you a jelly baby, alright?**

**Thanks for reading!**

**PJCrazy signing out.**


End file.
